A friend of mine (that I made just a week ago) asked me tonight if having a baby changes everything. Immediately, my answer was a resounding YES. Because of other conversations in the vicinity, though, I didn't really have a chance to elaborate, and I've been thinking about it ever since. What I've come up with though, is that while there are definitely a lot of changes, not necessarily everything has changed. That having been said, I've decided to compile a list of "Changes and Not-Changes" that I've found about having a kid.

CHANGES

I now go to bed at the same time as Kimberly and Cohen every night. This is usually at 10:00. It's not really something that I'm made to do...it's just more convenient. There are a few exceptions here and there (for instance, tonight), but for the most part, I'm ready for bed by then anyway.

My 10 minute morning commute is now an hour and a half commute. This, of course, is because I now take the kid to my parents' house every day, since Kimberly and I still both work full-time.

We don't go out as much as we used to. Naturally. Not that we went out a lot before...it's just less now that it was even then.

We utilize the DVR way more than we used to. Making it through a full thirty-minute show isn't nearly as easy as it once was. Thank goodness we can now pause (around 8:00 every night for bath time), rewind (to go back over what we missed when he was fussy), and record those shows that come on at ten, after we've gone to bed.

At this point, I must note that not all the changes are bad. There are positive changes, too.
For example:

I don't have the same sensitive gag reflex I once had. It's still sensitive, but now I can handle a poopy diaper with ease. Long ago, before I had my own kid, I changed my nephew's wet diaper once. Wet...that's it...and I dry-heaved like a sonofagun. The smell of puke (yeah, baby puke still smells like regular puke) doesn't get me nearly as much as it once did, either.

No matter what happens, my mood can instantly be made better by seeing the kid smile. I never would have guessed that seeing one smile from a kid could do a one-eighty on my psycological well-being, but it's true.

Family Rap Dancin' time is great. Cohen has some pretty sweet moves. He had the "One-Legged-Shuffle", and he has now graduated to "walking it out".

NOT-CHANGES

I still listen to the same stuff in the car that I once did (Granted, this will probably change once he's old enough to understand the English language)

I still make it out to play hockey with the dudes every Saturday morning.

Honestly, I don't think my personality has changed all that much. Sure, I've thrown in some goo-goos and ga-gas for his entertainment's sake, but as far as I can tell, I can still carry on the same adult conversations as I once did. I talk about him a lot, but I don't think he dominates my daily dialog. I can still carry on conversations about life, work, the Braves, etc. Sometimes I catch myself talking about him too much, and when I do, I usually try and change the subject. I am aware that not everyone wants to hear about my kid all the time. If you should ever notice me not shutting up about my kid, please bear with me...before long, I'll notice and stop. Other than that, I really feel like the same dude.


So there you have it. If you would have asked me three months ago if having a baby is fun and cool, I would have said yes, but I would have been saying it through clinched teeth and a fake smile. Ask me again today, and I'll say yes again...but this time I'll really mean it.